KIEV:  Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian President, has again called on Moscow to immediately return the embattled Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant to entire control of  Ukrain, ahead of discussions with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Zelensky said on Telegram that the Russian army "must withdraw from the nuclear power plant's property and all surrounding areas, and remove its military equipment from the plant." "This has to happen right now, without any circumstances."  Zelensky said, Ukrainian diplomats, researchers, and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are trying to deploy an IAEA expedition to the troubled power facility.

For the Ukrainian state, the international community, and the IAEA, he said, "only complete transparency and a  regulated situation at and surrounding the (Zaporizhzhya nuclear power station) can guarantee a gradual return to normal nuclear safety."

The International Atomic Energy Agency visit to the plant will be among the subjects of a meeting between Volodymyr Zelensky, Antonio Guterres and and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan set to take place on Thursday in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

The nuclear plant in southern Ukraine is Europe's biggest and has been occupied by Russian troops since March, shortly after Moscow iniitiated its invasion on February 24. Russia and Ukraine accused each other of new shelling near the plant earlier this month, but their claims have not been verified independently.

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